Archive By Section - Editorials

With police behavior having been in the news recently because of incidents in which white officers killed unarmed black citizens, there has been much discussion -- rightfully so -- about whether some officers are acting recklessly. Racial profiling, of course, has been a part of this discussion, as it should be. It's interesting, then, that the U.S. Supreme Court handed down an opinion earlier this week giving some leeway to police who make "reasonable mistakes" in enforcing the law. Of course, reasonable mistakes don't include the right by officers to act without provocation or to use undue force. And ...

• A tip of the C-I hat to Kershaw County Deputy Fred Tiah, a school resource officer at Stover Middle School in Elgin. Tiah, as we reported Friday, is from Liberia, one of the hardest-hit countries in this year's Ebola crisis. Recognizing he has been welcomed to and is finding success in America, Tiah says he wants to help children in his native country who have been orphaned by the deadly disease. He's put his idea into action, raising money to help pay for the children's education and medical supplies. Tiah also wants to be a role model ...

If people in Kershaw County had their druthers, they'd probably prefer that KershawHealth, the facility that grew out of the old Kershaw County Memorial Hospital, would be locally owned. But in a day when consolidation and economies of scale are bywords, it finally became impossible, and KershawHealth trustees voted unanimously Monday night to sell the hospital to a company partnered by Capella Healthcare of Tennessee and the Medical University of South Carolina. A caveat: some might argue with the word "sell," since the transaction is a complicated arrangement, but in essence, that's what it is.

The concept of term limits peaked and then declined a few years ago, but the basic idea of putting a stopper on the time people can spend making laws is a sound one. The S.C. House of Representatives, in the wake of the Bobby Harrell scandal, is now moving to limit a speaker to no more than five terms, or 10 years. And nationally, voices are beginning to sound alarms which would prevent career politicians from continuing to pull the levers of power for decades.

• We note Elgin Mayor Brad Hanley's decision not to run for reelection in February. Hanley said increased responsibilities with his full-time job would make it difficult to keep up with the day-to-day responsibilities of mayor. Although he will be missed as mayor, we believe Hanley is exercising great responsibility in making this decision, recognizing the need to make way for someone who can fully commit to Elgin's mayoral duties. In his four years as mayor, Hanley has performed a tremendous job, leading the way on a variety of issues -- most importantly, keeping Spears Creek free of additional pollutants ...

Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has long waged a campaign against the excessive government spending that has become the rule rather than the exception in Washington. For several years, he has published his "wastebook," which details some of the most egregious money-wasting projects of the federal government. Coburn's stepping down from his senatorial slot, and has released the last of his wastebooks. Some, as usual, defy comprehension. Here, according to one national media outlet, are some of the most glaring examples of how Uncle Sam can throw your money away.

When Republicans took control of the Senate in last month's election -- of course, the newly elected solons won't actually take office until next month -- they were greeted soon thereafter with President Obama's decision to take executive action on immigration. That was as heavy a slap in the face as the nation's chief executive could have delivered, in essence saying he had little interest in cooperation with the GOP. Now, with a spending bill of some kind needing to be passed to avoid a government shutdown, Republicans must decide how they're going to play it.

• On Nov. 25, Walter Long and Willard Polk attended their last meeting as Camden City Council members. Both served Camden with distinction. In some ways, Long, first elected to council in 2006, began his political career a few years before when he began speaking out against the creation of mandatory historic neighborhood districts where all properties would be under the jurisdiction of the Camden Historic Landmarks Commission. While not everyone agreed with his stand on that issue, it proved he cared deeply about what happens here in Camden. That passion would play out as he brought forward several ideas -- some ...

Thanksgiving generally marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, though commerce in this country is a continually changing animal. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when many stores have kicked off big sales and deep discounts, appears to be lessening in importance. Retail experts say there's more of a trend now in discounting that starts before Black Friday and extends well beyond it. Shoppers have become so accustomed to discounting among retailers that many are determined from the outset not to pay full price for anything.

On Sept. 28, 1789, according to a government website, the First Federal Congress passed a resolution asking President George Washington recommend to the nation a day of thanksgiving. The site goes on to describe what happened: a few days later, Washington issued a proclamation naming Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789, as a "day of public thanksgiving" -- the first time the holiday was celebrated by our fledgling country.

• Property rights vs. community pride is a conflict as old as civilization itself. In recent months, we've reported on two attempts to regulate the appearance of properties in an effort to clean up our communities. Back in October, Kershaw County Council rejected, 3-4, third reading of an ordinance which would have given the county authority to demolish uninhabitable dwellings deemed a nuisance to neighbors or the community at large. More recently, Bethune Town Councilman John Fulmer proposed an ordinance which, if passed in December, would fine owners of blighted properties if they don't clean them up after being ...

Lawyers of every political persuasion are lining up in Washington to have their say on the legality or illegality of the plan President Obama intends to implement regarding amnesty for illegal aliens who are in the United States without proper authorization, with one major network saying the president's plan to take the immigration system into his own hands "is a daring test of the limits of presidential power."

Operating under the simple premise that citizens have a right to know as much as they can about how their government officials operate, and how that affects governmental agencies as a whole, we almost always favor laws and regulations which require transparency in government. Transparency, of course, is an overused word, but it basically means that government agencies must operate in a way that allows citizens to observe what's happening, and even to have input about what's taking place.

• Once again, we mention the good work of Brian Mayes in this space. Seven years ago -- in response to the death of Camden High School student Michael Smith in Kershaw County's only gang-related shooting -- Mayes said the community had to become "a better gang than the gangs." What he meant is Camden and Kershaw County had to offer young people alternatives to gang life and choices which could land them in jail, or worse. Two events this month prove Mayes has planted good seeds we hope will bear fruit for generations to come. First, the official ribbon cutting ceremony ...

Two separate incidents in Kershaw County this week have proven, once again, the unpredictability of pit bulls and the danger of owning such dogs. We have wondered on prior occasions what moves people to possess breeds that have a history of violence.